Gone

Tuesday Tales 42
100-word flash fiction challenge
The Photo: left
The Secret Word: farmhouse

My entry: Gone

A cacophony of voices filled the farmhouse.

"What was she wearing?"

"Have you checked the barn?"

"When did you last see her?"

Moira sat, white and teary. Patrick was out scouring the fields, faint calls of "Rebeccah!" audible during rare moments of silence.

The young, earnest constable licked the point of his pencil and scribbled in his notebook. The crunch of a car in the lane interrupted the questioning, and the constable ushered in his sergeant.

"Mrs. O'Hara, we've found a bear on the street of the city. Here's a photo. Is it Rebeccah's?"

Moira's wails echoed down the valley.

100 words
@dee_768

The Journey Part 3

#TuesdayTales Flash Fiction
100 words
Secret Word: Lunacy--any form of insanity, foolish act, or a psychiatric condition
Picture, above

My Entry: The Journey Part 3
Part 1 | Part 2

The Bright sank into the rubbled distance. Hazardous broken pavement forced caution. Energy and water almost gone, an injury would end her. Jessa picked her way, soft-soled boots silent. Ravagers might be anywhere.

Rustling along the fence froze her, flattened, listening. Minutes later it came again, close by. In the halflight she could just see it, caught in the rusting grid. Could it be? She'd only seen pictures, but she was almost certain.

She slithered over, fearing a trap. It was lunacy, but she wanted it. Dry and brown, but evidence of growth, life.

Huddled, she reached for the leaf...

100 words
@dee_768

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The Bookkeeper

Tuesday Tales
100-word flash fiction challenge

The Photo: left

The Secret Word: Conjugal

My Entry: The Bookkeeper

The rising sun lit his desk chair, dust motes mocking him.

"Shit," he muttered, knowing he had to sit down and get to work.

He sighed as he opened the ledger, his nemesis, gathering piles of receipts and bits of paper, beginning the entries. If he concentrated, he could finish in time to meet her for dinner. The thought of her made him smile.

Hours later, his adding machine whirred as he totaled the columns, debits and credits dancing in conjugal bliss.

"Double shit," he muttered when he examined the tape.

The ledger, like his life, was out of balance.

100 words

Honorable Mention:  Best Use of the Word “Conjugal:”   Dee -  @dee_768

Praise: Love it! This one was an easy pick for Honorable Mention, and very nearly took the cake. I especially enjoyed the image conveyed by “debits and credits dancing in conjugal bliss.” Mmm, yeah, all those pluses and minuses moving together…ahem. Pardon me.

Criticism: In the end, I felt that some of the “telling” in this story might have been better as “showing,” which is why it comes in second.


This post has been moved from my main page. Original comments are here.